HIGH PIT WILMA

Belated birthday wishes Foxy,hope ye hae many mair ,bonny lad!!

Hi Dorothy,welcome to the forum! My elderly friend's Husband ran a sawmill , with her help,down at Guidepost,in the old days....she is now 92 years old,and still goes to the Christian Fellowship at the Coffin Chapel,in Bedlington town centre. She also helps to run the coffee morning and "drop-in",at the Coffin Chapel,every Thursday morning,and the craft class in the same afternoon,where she is also actively involved in putting up shoe boxes for the needy third world children,which just runs throughout the year..non-stop voluntery work! She is my Wife's friend really,but all of my Wife's friends are my friends also,and "Old Edna",is always telling us stories about the old days at the sawmill...how it was hard work. I will ring her as soon as I can,and ask her if she can enlighten me about your family history..she might just help ..she is extremely fit and active,with a memory like a hen! She can be found in the Coffin Chapel,every Thursday,and if you dropped in for a coffee and chat,in the morning,you will be pleasantly surprised at what a friendly,helpful bunch of people,they are,who volunteer to run the service for the people,and visitors,to our lovely town! From what Edna has told me,over the years,I always thought that her Family's sawmill was at the bottom of Sheepwash bank,adjacent to the Anglers Arms pub..somewhere in that vicinity. When you look at the size of the plantation on the old maps,it appears to me that a few people would have set up business in the timber trade,seeing as all the "new" collieries were being developed,most prominentally in that area being the Choppington "A"..[low pit],and Choppington "B" ..[the "High Pit"],where I worked as a young lad...and the pits depended on the timber for coalface and roadway supports underground. Million was the name of my old friend's family,and one of that family is on the visitor's information notice board,which stands at the former entrance to what was Choppington "B" colliery,now known as "Choppington Woods".[up Morpeth road past Alex Scott's garage,aboot a quarter of a mile on the left side of the road.] There are old historical pictures of Choppington collieries,and John Million is pictured along with his "Marra's"..[mates],underground,at the coalface,taken somewhere around the late 950's,I guess,cos I was a young heavy transport lad,aged 16 yrs,in 1960,and I clearly remember all the fellas in the pic,as looking exactly like they are,on the pic,when I worked there..at that time... John Million was the Brother of Tom Million,whe ran the sawmill ,so if the mill had been started by their Parents,and possibly THEIR parents..then we would be looking back to the mid-1800's. Can't promise owt,but aal dae wat a can ,Dorothy,and a hope ye can find oot a lot aboot your Family's roots!! Cheers,Bill.

Hi Alan, a did PM Michelle, but haven 't had a reply.. aam wondering if she is "lost" a bit! Aal try again laterAlan, gotta see ti things here..! Cheers Marra! Bill.

Shud read "Amazing"..a couldn't edit it after posting!

Heh heh!..they used ti say hard work nivvor killed any bugga....it's done a canny job up ti noo atween us two....! Did ye not notice me profile amendment,Alan,we lost LBJ on February 19th..the Vet advised we had to put her to sleep,she had Lymphoma Cancer in all her Lymph Glands throughout her body...it only showed under her throat as a big lump in the last three days. She also had Kidney failure as a result,as well as the Arthritis. We were all devasted in this hoose...I still get full yet,if a luk at her photo,or even hear certain songs what a used ti sing when we were oot for late neet walks.[..a canna sing like Tom Jones,but aa enjoy mesel singing anywheh..] The house feels empty still,and we keep expecting her to come into the rooms where we are at any one time. Aa aalwis said..ye dinna get any grief from pets,Dogs especially,it's people yi get thi grief from.. A aalwis caaled LBJ "Me Little Darling" when a spoke ti her..and a used ti sing that song [from thi 1950's..by the Diamonds],every night we went oot..it became a habit,and a used ti sing reet oot lood,so anybody hearing me wud think a shudda been tekkn away! Thanks for keeping an eye oot,Michelle Grant..[Newbie] PM'd me and said she replied to my PM,but lost the text..a said if Alan could possibly sort it,ye wud! A dinna knaa where she tried tried contacting me on...whether it was E-mail,or wor PM service.[it turns oot we are related!..thanks to this forum we have made contact through my seeing a kid in the Gallery school pics..amzing hoo fate brings people tigitha!] Thanks for your help and patience as usual Alan. Cheers,Bill. ps..just doon from the Bus stop![Bob Mole lived here before we bought it from him and his Wife Frances,they moved BACK to Seghill..be funny if ye happened ti knaa them!...]

Sad to see another part of our town pass on,but Joan and her staff should have medals for their service to Bedlington for all the decades that they have been top - notch!!,and Joan deserves a happy retirement! They,together with Matty Robinsons,built Bedlington between them.if you wanted a pink Elephant,they would try to get you one!! I built my Wife a little bedside cabinet,and covered it with the "New" fashionable Quilted effect white "Fablon"[?],vinyl type of material!!!...in 1968-ish,my first project after we got married..with very little money! As the years went by,I practically re-built my house from Keenleysides materials...! Joan and young Morris were always there to help me sort out exactly what I needed,along with free advice...! I wish Joan,and the Staff,all the very best and will be calling in to say thanks! To Russell,I will give you a big nod on the road if we pass...keep riding safe!! Cheers to all! Bill Allison.

Thanks Alan,as always!..haven't been on lately,having a rough time here wi health problems between me and me Wife!...gett'n aad isn't much fun!

That's my homeland and all my precious memories of Hollymount Square...gaan doon that bank ti thi woods and the river ti play...that wall was completely covered with lads' names and drawings...it wasn't called "Graffiti" in them days...it wasn't owt at aal...just loads of great artwork and initials...the street cred went ti thi one who could reach thi highest up ti put their names on!!! A can remember Derek Wilkinson,[his younger brother Alan was my classmate and lifelong friend at school],climbing up the old mill building to reach a Pidgeon's nest,and falling to thi ground..nearly killing himself in the process...a wonder if Derek is still alive and well...he is on aal the Whitley school football team pics wi Matty Hall...as is Alan also. Great old photo of the Bank..thanks for sharing it...these pics don't half bring the memories flooding back of my childhood!

Hi Alan,we aal see folks differently,in hindsight,cos No 2 reminds me of Brian Davison..[no"D"!],who was marra's on the same face [R22's],alang wi Sandy,who started his own Haulage business with an aad Transit Van,and progressed to three £100,000 Huge Articulated trucks,as well as vans,under the namme of "Sanderson's Haulage Co",based at Bebside.[Now deceased R.I.P. Sandy]. A mentioned that for reference,so he's marra's, will knaa hoo am on aboot.Bucky Sharples,[also deceased..R.I.P.Bucky],also worked wi thi Brian hoo aam thinking of.[mebbe aam mistaken..it's two against one!..and Alan Dickson is usually spot on!..just a nagging doubt in my mind...] In 1971, the Tilmouth twins were under my charge,in the Beamont seam,at Bates,when a was a young Deputy. A canny pair o' kids who were nae bother,and who were on leading the supplies inti the face,in 84's Tailgate haulage road. Their Dad,also worked in there,on the face,and when a used ti keep remarking hoo identical they were,he used ti say,he had ti bray both of them when they were bairns,if one did owt wrang,each would blame the other,and HE couldn't tell them apart![the twins telt me the same thing happened at school..they would blame each other ..so they both got wrang!] They really were remarkable in likeness. The only way aa could tell them apart was in their nature. One was a bit on the quiet side,but still chatty,while the other was more forthcoming,and chattier. The names of Bob,Tommy,and Jimmy,aal come into my mind,as a think back,but wat aam leading up to,was that a definately divvent see No 6 as one of the Tilmouth twins. A knew that lad weel,but canna get he's nyem....he was a baccy-chowa,if a remember reetly,not that that's got owt ti dae wi it! The Twins were the spit of their aad chep,cos we use ti say he couldn't weedle he's way oot o' that one......![an aad pit joke ti young new Dads.] No 6's tash might be wat serves as a memory jolt ,cos the Tilmouth Twins had exact tashes,as young kids....but wadn't it be great if the scientists cud invent a memory pill....it would save a lot of speculation!!

If you zoom in on this pic you can see the title on the side of the No 3 Winder test weight car,next to the pit cage wheels,it's painted red.

Aye Sym,aal thi aad winders,AND big underground "Main and Tail" haulers were run on painted,or chalked indicator marks...and they were accurate if you had a well experienced Brakesman in the winderhoose,or a gud haulerman doon thi pit...well if you think about it...in the steam winder days...no electronics...right up to the 1960's at Choppington,before they replaced the steam winder with a new electric one,the overspeed trip was a simple Centrifugal["Centripetel"] "Governer",which controlled a small steam valve,with a small ram,mounted below two thick steel pivotable bars,called "Latches",which were mounted at one end of the massive brake shoes of the winder drum,and which held the brake shoes in the "Off" position.[i.e..away from the drum brake surface.] When the cages went too fast down the shaft..[and up the shaft at the same time!!]...the balls on the governer would fly outwards on their cantilever mounts,and they would push a small lever which opened the steam valve..which caused the ram to push the two "Latches" upwards,which in turn,allowed really heavy duty springs to push the brake shoes onto the drum causing a massive deceleration...which brought the cages to an abrubt halt..from over 50 feet per second down to a halt in about one second!! Noo!!..when that happened,as it did every other day,on fast-winding coalwork,the cages bounced up and down,but the one furthest down the shaft,bounced the hardest....about 6 feet either way,first downwards..then upwards..back down..up..down..up..then finally standstill. Choppington High Pit,differed to other pits,in that there was no "Manriding"mode..,on the old steam winder,there was just one mode,and that was coalwork!! The men rode the shaft at the same speed as the coal tubs did...and when the cages tripped on overspeed,it was like you just went deaf.. All the bantering and cracking on between the men on the way down,[or up..]...ceased in an instant,and all you could hear was the cage rattling against the "Skeets"..[shaft cage guide rails]. Once the cage came to rest..everybody started laughing and joking again! The shaft at Choppington High Pit was 600 feet deep,fairly shallow compared to most other pits,but once your feet are in the cage,there is 600 feet of nothing between you and the Sump at the shaft bottom. So if you were in the cage going down,and it tripped at 500 feet,then 500 feet of steel cage rope stretched like an elastic band...that's not dangerous,it's designed to do that....[[unless it snaps.!!] But nature didn't take these occasions into account when she created us!!..so every time the cage bounced up and down...so did wor stomachs!! When young trainees got into the cage for the first time,the men would say to them to hold onto the overhead bar,"in case the rope snaps"!.. then the Banksman would give the Brakesman the wire,and he would drop the cage a bit faster from the keps,and trip it on overspeed,then someone would crack..[in the following silence!]..."aye, it's thorteen years thi day since thi rope snapped..wa lucky thi day..!!" We all had it done to us....I remember the first time that happened when I went down...what a queasy feeling!!! But you got used to it..even though there was STILL a moment of silence every time..cos you never knew for sure..!...till the cage started to move again.. The ropes did stretch over time,but there was always a few spare coils of the rope tucked in a recess at the side of the drum,which served as a reserve for when the Shaftsmen did the obligatory "Rope-cut",every six months,which involved cutting off the Sheckle on the rope -end,on which the cages hung,plus 6 feet of rope on which the sheckle was mounted. This was done on both cage ropes,and both samples were sent away to S.M.R.E. ["Safety in Mines Research Establishment" in Nottingham],for testing the integrity of the sheckles on the rope-ends. The reserve coils on the drum were then utilised to equalise both ropes to their original lengths,by unwinding them with a geared mechanism,on the side of the drum,and new sheckles fitted to the ropes. When new ropes stretched after a while,the extra length was taken up back inside the coil reserve recess.[you can see this if you visit any mining museum,and you know what to look for!] An Emergency brake test was done every week,at every pit,and involved loading the cages with a known,weighted vehicle,which weighed ten times more than the heaviest load which the cages would be subjected to,in everyday use. The cages were run on coalwork,then the Brakesman would slam the brakes on to simulate an emergency stop. Rope-breakages were unheard of in latter years as locked-coil steel ropes became ever stronger with anti-twist properties,and safety regulations enforced without question. Tonyp,it was a sad aspect of mining,that only the mining communities knew anything about,that fatalities were happening too often in the olden days ,especially,but even in the days of mechanisation,when fewer fatalities occurred,ONE fatality was STILL too many.